Odell Beckham Jr. open to Cleveland Browns reunion with Baker Mayfield on the way out

Now that Odell Beckham Jr. has shown what he can do in an offense with another talented receiver to draw defenders away where he isn’t relying on Baker Mayfield to get him the ball, the three-time Pro Bowl wideout may be open to re-joining the Cleveland Browns in 2022.

It’s become clear, OBJ wasn’t the issue at the Dawg Pound during his tenure in Cleveland. A year ago, they had Mayfield and Beckham as their top quarterback and No. 1 receiver. Soon, once Mayfield is traded, they won’t have either.

Yet, Mayfield’s trade could lead to one former player wanting to return to the club, and the Browns still do have a need for a receiver, or two. It would be incredibly ironic for OBJ to spend not even one full season away from the destination he couldn’t wait to depart from, but it would be the strongest indication yet that both the Browns and OBJ never had a problem with each other, their beef was with Mayfield.

That’s still a big if. Even Beckham Jr. initially laughed at the idea when prompted about a return to Cleveland on Twitter. But a source close to Beckham also recently told Cleveland.com that the star WR is open to playing for the Browns, now that Mayfield is presumably gone, replaced with Deshaun Watson. The source adds that OBJ always loved his teammates and the local fanbase when he was with the Browns.

Odell Beckham Jr.’s return to Cleveland Browns on the horizon?

While it would be a fun exercise, to see Odell Beckham Jr. return to Cleveland on unfinished business, he likely has several other suitors who want to see how he’d fit their offense too. Not to mention, the Los Angeles Rams are still interested in bringing their new Super Bowl-winning receiver back for a repeat run at the Lombardi.

First things first, OBJ needs to recover from the ACL surgery that wiped him out of the Super Bowl to begin with. While he is a free agent, allowed to sign with any NFL franchise, the Rams appear to be the frontrunners for his services. After getting another taste of the playoffs, Beckham is expected to choose a landing spot that allows him to continue competing for more rings, while still being a top pass-catching option. Maybe if the Chiefs part ways with Tyreek Hill, they’d have some interest in bringing Beckham aboard?